Brake for administering prescribed resistance to the starting movements of hand-operated controllers.



No. 703,468. Patented July I, 1902. w. E. OUIMBY.

BRAKE FOR AOMiINISTERI'NG PRESCRIBED RESISTANCE TO THE STARTING MOVEMENTS OF HAND OPERATED CONTROLLERS.

(Application filed Dec. 7, 1900. Renewed Dec. 13, 1901.)

(In Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEICE.

WILLIAM E. QUIMBY, OF NETV YORK, N. Y.

BRAKE FOR ADMINISTERING PRESCRIBED RESISTANCE TO THE STARTING MOVEMENTS OF HAND-OPERATED CONTROLLERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,468, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed December '7, 1900. Renewed December 18, 1901. Serial No. 85,844. (No model.)

To [LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. QUIMBY, of the city and'State of New York, have invented a certain Improvement in Brakes for Administering Prescribed Resistance to the Starting Movements of Hand-Operated Gontrollers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to guard against the too rapid starting of trolleycars. It is accomplished by imposing such resistance to the manually-effected starting movements of the controller as will compel such movements to be made slowly.

The invention consists in the combination of the controller-operating shaft with a vacuum-cylinder and piston and connections between said shaft and said piston whereby the starting movement of the controller is opposed by atmospheric pressure acting on said piston.

The accompanying drawings of a simple form of mechanism embodying an illustration of the invention are as follows:

Figure l is a vertical section of so much of the upper part of an ordinary controller-box as is necessary to show the vacuum-cylinder, the piston, and the connections thereof with the controllenoperating shaft. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the plane indicated by the dotted line x no on Fig. 1.

The drawings show a portion of the shell or of an ordinary controller-box, such as used on the platform of trolley-cars. The head Z) of the box is perforated to admit of the extension through it of the controller-operating shaft 0, to the upper extremity of which is attached the usual operating-crank 61, adapted to be engaged at either end of its rotating excursions by the usual stop 6, erected upon the head I) of the box. The shaft 0 has affixed to it the toothedpinion f, adapted to engage the teeth of the endwise-sliding rack-bar g, affixed to or formed integrally with the piston h, which traverses the vacuum-cylinder t'.

The parts are so organized that at the commencement of the starting movement of the crank (Z the piston f is in close proximity to the hinged headj of the cylinder, which when the piston f recedes from it is held by atmospheric pressure against the end c" of the cylder The periphery of the piston it may be provided with any suitable packing-as, for example, if desired, with the cup-packing h. The cylinder may be provided with the leakinlet in, susceptible of being wholly or partially closed by the adjustable screw-plug 7t for varying the resistance to the outward stroke of the piston as may be desired.

The hinged head j of the cylinder 7; constitutes a check-valve which is normally held on its seat by gravity and is kept closed by atmospheric pressure during the stroke of the piston induced by the starting movement of the controller-shaft, but which by yielding freely during the return stroke of the piston opens an outlet of ample area for the escape from the cylinder of the air at that time in front of the advancing piston.

Vhat is claimed as the invention is- 1. In electric starting mechanism the combination of the controller-operating shaft with a vacuum-cylinder; a piston traversing said cylinder and connections between said operatingshaft and said piston, whereby the starting movements of the controller are opposed by atmospheric pressure acting upon said piston.

22. In electric starting mechanism, a vacuum cylinder provided with an outwardlyyielding check-valve; a piston adapted to traverse said cylinder, in combination with the controller-operating shaft and connections between said piston and said controlleroperating shaft, whereby the starting movement of the controller-operating shaft is opposed by atmospheric pressure acting upon said piston and its opposite movement is unopposed by such pressure.

3. In electric starting mechanism, a vaciv um cylinder provided with an adjustable leak-inlet; a piston traversing said cylinder; in combination with the controller-opcrating shaftand connections between said controlleroperating shaft and said piston, whereby the starting movement of the controller-operating Q ms/nae shaft is opposed by a prearranged amount of shaft and connections between said controlnnbalancedatinospheiic pressureacting upon let-operating shaft and said piston, as and 10 said piston. for the purpose set forth.

4:. In electric starting mechanism a vacu- 3 T um cylinder provided with an mitwardly- \VILLIAM QUIMBK' yielding check-valve and with an adjustable i/Vitnesses: leak-inlet; a piston traversing said cylinder; STEPHEN S. PRICE,

in combination With the controller-operating E. GA'JJTERER. 

